The invention disclosed herein relates to a remotely controlled toy or other device operated with a wireless remote control device, which may be sampled, tried or otherwise operated from the remote control device using a link other than the wireless link used in normal operation of the toy or other device. This facilitates, makes practical or enables operation of the remotely controlled device, for example in a point of sale package or a point of sale display configuration.
Point of sale packaging which enables a toy to be viewed, touched and/or operated while in the package is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,925,025 (Anten et al.); 5,172,806 (Mickelberg); 5,289,916 (Mickelberg); 5,411,138 (Klawiter); and 5,695,056 (Bender et al.).
The invention disclosed herein facilitates, makes practical or enables a remotely controlled toy or other device to be operated or tried while in a package, for example by a prospective purchaser in a point of sale package. The invention thus provides a xe2x80x9ctry mexe2x80x9d feature for a remotely controlled device at the point of sale.
It is an object of the invention disclosed herein to enable a remotely controlled toy or other device normally operated by means of a wireless remote control device to be sampled, tried or otherwise operated using a link other than the wireless link used in normal operation.
It is another object of the invention to facilitate, make practical or enable a remotely controlled toy or other device normally operated by a wireless remote control device to be sampled, tried or otherwise operated while in a package, e.g., a point of sale package, or a point of sale display configuration.
It is another object of the invention to provide a selectable wireless coupling and a wired coupling between a toy or other remotely controlled device and a remote control therefor.
The invention achieves these and other objects by providing a secondary link between the remotely controlled device and the remote control device other than a primary wireless link used in normal operation and selectivity between the links. The secondary link may be selected for operation of the remotely controlled device and the remote control device in a point of sale package or display. This allows a plurality of remotely controlled devices which may be operated by the remote control device of another remotely controlled device to be operated individually, or where the primary link is line of sight in a configuration where the remote control device and the remotely controlled device are not configured to establish a line of sight primary link.
The secondary link may be another wireless link with characteristics amenable to individual operation of each remotely controlled device/remote control device pair or groups thereof, or may be a wired link. The secondary wireless link may be of the same or different type as the primary wireless link selected or configured to be capable of individual operation or operation in a point of sale package or display. In the preferred embodiment, the secondary link comprises a disconnectable wired link or coupling between the remotely controlled device and the remote control device in addition the primary wireless link or coupling.
xe2x80x9cWireless linkxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwireless couplingxe2x80x9d are equivalent terms used herein in a broad sense and encompass a link or coupling that does not require the remotely controlled device and the remote control device to be tethered, and including but not limited to electromagnetic, optical including infrared, electrostatic, and acoustical and ultrasonic links and couplings. Similarly, xe2x80x9cwired linkxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cwired couplingxe2x80x9d are equivalent terms used herein in a broad sense and encompass a link or coupling achieved through a tether (e.g., a cable which conducts electricity, light, sound, etc.) coupled to the remotely controlled device and the remote control device. xe2x80x9cTry mexe2x80x9d operation or xe2x80x9ctry mexe2x80x9d configuration are used herein in a broad sense and encompass operation over the secondary link or coupling, regardless of whether the remotely controlled device and the remote control device are in a package or configured in a point of sale display. xe2x80x9cPackagexe2x80x9d encompasses two or more packages tethered, linked or coupled together, unless the context indicates otherwise.
A combination incorporating a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a remotely controlled device having at least one controllable feature and a remote control device having at least one manually actuable control, in which the remote control device and the remotely controlled device are wirelessly coupled and operative to control the at least one feature upon actuation of the at least one control via the wireless coupling, and are also coupled by a disconnectable wired coupling. The remotely controlled device, the remote control device and the disconnectable wired coupling are operative to also control the at least one feature in response to activation of the at least one control. The combination allows selection of the wireless coupling or the wired coupling.
In accordance with one embodiment, the disconnectable wired coupling includes a first connector coupled to the remotely controlled device and a second connector coupled to the remote control device. In this combination, the remotely controlled device comprises a receiver adapted to receive signals wirelessly transmitted by the remote control device and a controller which controls operation of at least one feature of the remotely controlled device, where the controller is coupled to be responsive to a signal from at least one of the receiver and the first connector to control the at least one feature. And, in this combination, the remote control device comprises a transmitter and at least one manually actuated control, where the transmitter wirelessly transmits a signal adapted to control the at least one feature and be received by the receiver of the remotely controlled device in response to activation of the at least one control, and the first connector couples a signal adapted to control the at least one feature to the second connector in response to activation of the at least one control.
The wired coupling may be disconnected and the remotely control device operated by wireless remote control using the remote control device. The remotely controlled device and the remote control device may be configured so that wireless or wired operation is selected manually, e.g., by means of a switch or the physical presence or absence of a wired coupling. Where operation is dependent upon the presence or absence of the wired coupling, in the presence of the wired coupling, the remotely controlled device may be operated solely via the wired coupling or both wirelessly and via the wired coupling. Selection may also be made automatically by electronic detection of the presence or absence of a wired coupling. Thus, selection may be made manually or automatically.
A preferred combination comprises a manually operable switch coupled to enable the combination to selectively control the at least one feature wirelessly or through the disconnectable wired coupling.
A cable removably coupled to the remotely control device and the remote control device via connectors may provide the wired coupling, or the connectors may directly mate. Preferably, the connectors mate so that the wired coupling is disconnected simply by separating the remote control device from the remotely controlled device.
The combinations described above may comprise a package, preferably a point of sale package, holding the remotely controlled device and the remote control device, with the at least one control being accessible for activation from outside the package, or the remotely controlled device and the remote control device may configured in a point of sale display.
The remotely controlled device may be a toy, or a consumer electronics device such as a video (e.g., television) or audio device (e.g., receiver), or other device whose identity will be apparent from the disclosure herein
A method incorporating a preferred embodiment for activating a remotely controlled device with a wireless remote control device associated therewith, comprises the steps of coupling the remotely controlled device and the remote control device with a disconnectable wired coupling and conditioning the remotely controlled device, the remote control device or both to operate via the wireless coupling when the remotely controlled device and the remote control device are coupled by the wireless coupling.